This photo was taken by Malcolm Perry of a plant in his collection and is used with permission

This photo was taken by Malcolm Perry of a plant in his collection and is used with permission.

There are side lobes on this plant although they are obscured in this photograph.

Synonyms

Acoridium longibulbum (Ames) Ames, Orchidaceae 7: 81 (1922).

Dendrochilum lucbanense Ames, Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 5: 1559 (1912).

Acoridium lucbanense (Ames) Ames, Orchidaceae 7: 81 (1922).

Origin in the Wild

Luzon and Negros Occidental

Elevation in the Wild

665-2600 metres

Habitat in the Wild

This species has been collected from many Luzon mountains including, Mayon Volcano, Mount Data, Mount Himi-o, Mount Pimmage, Mount Polis, Mount Banahao, Bauko, Lucban and on the southern slope of Bulusan Volcano. On Negros it has been collected on the Canlaon Volcano.

This species has mostly been collected as an epiphyte in mossy forest. Jim Cootes wrote that this species is "an epiphyte, among mosses, on tree trunks in bright light" (Cootes 2001).

The Plants Description

The pseudobulbs cluster on a short rhizome and are shaped slenderly fusiform. The pseudobulbs measure 0.8-5.5cm long and 0.2-0.3cm in diameter. The pseudobulbs are covered by 4-6 cataphylls while they are growing. The cataphylls soon disintegrate into persistent fibres as the pseudobulbs mature. The leaves are petiolate; the petiole measures 0.4-2.0cm long. The leaf blades are shaped linear-lanceolate and have obtuse to subacute apices, sometimes finely mucronate. The leaf blades measure 2.5-14.3cm long and 0.3-1.4cm wide. The leaves have 5 distinct nerves on the blade, the 2 outermost nerves 0.5-1.0mm from the leaf margin.

The Inflorescence

The inflorescence is synanthous and appears at the same time as the leaves. The peduncle is suberect to curved and measures 1.3-12.1cm long. The rachis is nodding to pendent and measures 2.3-10.6cm long. The flowers alternate distichously and are spaced 1.5-3.0mm apart. There are 2-4 appressed non-floriferous bracts at the base of the rachis. The flowers open from the distal section of the rachis.

The Flowers

Henrik Pedersen wrote (1997) that the flowers are white to pale yellow. The Kew specimen, 71524 states that the flowers are yellowish cream. Approximately 20 flowers grow on an inflorescence (Cootes 2001). The sepals and petals spread widely, the sepals have a few minute trichomes at their bases. The dorsal sepal is shaped oblanceolate-oblong and has an obtuse to subacute apex. The dorsal sepal measures 2.6-4.0mm long and 0.9-1.4mm wide. The dorsal sepal is three veined and has an entire margin. The lateral sepals are shaped obliquely and narrowly ovate and have acute apices. The lateral sepals measure 2.4-3.8mm long and 1.3-1.7mm wide. The lateral sepals are three veined and have entire margins. The petals are shaped somewhat oblique and obovate with obtuse to acute apices, sometimes finely apiculate. The petals measure 2.3-3.1mm long and 1.2-2.0mm wide. The petals are 3 veined and have entire to minutely serrate margins. The labellum is porrect and 3-lobed. The labellum measures 1.0-1.4mm long and 1.7-2.0mm wide. The labellum is three veined, glabrous (sometimes with a few ocelli) and has entire margins. The side lobes are erect; shaped falcately oblong and have rounded apices. The side lobes are slightly shorter than the mid-lobe. The mid-lobe is shaped subquadrate and has a truncate apex which is distinctly apiculate in its centre.There are three calli, the lateral calli are shaped oblongoid and located at the base of each side lobe. The median callus is shaped oblongoid and is located centrally on the hypochile and along the median nerve. The column is suberect to straight and measures 0.5-1.0mm long. The column is somewhat hooded at its apex. Stelidia and column foot are absent.

Flowering plants have been collected in the wild during January, February, April, May August and October.

Culture

This species is found in cultivation, I have seen plants in Australia, Europe and North America.

Similar Species

Dendrochilum irigense

Dendrochilum exile

Dendrochilum mindorense

Dendrochilum pumilum var recurvum

Dendrochilum pumilum var pumilum

Dendrochilum schweinfurthianum

Dendrochilum tenuibulbum

Other Information

L.O. Williams (1951) reduced Dendrochilum lucbanense as a synonym of this species, a decision that Henrik Pedersen agreed with (Pedersen 1997). Ames and Williams both suggested that this species was close to Dendrochilum pumilum and Dendrochilum recurvum.

Henrik Pedersen wrote that this species should be grouped with Dendrochilum schweinfurthianum, Dendrochilum tenuibulbum and Dendrochilum pumilum on account of its anther cap that is emarginate from the frontal view (Pedersen 1997).